The ICC Champions Trophy began in 1998 with the aim of adding more competition and excitement to ODI cricket in the four-year gap between World Cups. The tournament has been held eight times so far, and the special thing about it is that a single defeat can knock a team out of the tournament.
With many thrilling ICC Champions Trophy finals, the tournament has also seen some historic team scores. Let’s look at the top 5 highest team scores made in Champions Trophy finals.
1. Pakistan – 338/4 vs India, 2017 at The Oval London, England
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Pakistan scored a mammoth 338/4 against India in the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy final, which is the highest ever score in the final of this tournament.
Pakistan openers put up an opening partnership of 128 runs, with Fakhar Zaman scoring a brilliant 114. Mohammad Hafeez scored a quick 57 in the end as Pakistan won the match by 180 runs.
2. New Zealand – 265/6 vs India, 2000 at Gymkhana Club Ground, Nairobi
New Zealand set the record for chasing the highest score in a ICC Champions Trophy final by scoring 265 runs against India in the 2000 final.
After faltering at 132/5, Chris Cairns scored an unbeaten 102 and led his team to a four-wicket win. He was declared Player of the Match for his excellent performance.
3. India – 264/6 vs New Zealand, 2000 at Gymkhana Club Ground, Nairobi
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India scored 264/6 against New Zealand in the 2000 final of ICC Champions Trophy (Previously known as ICC KnockOut Trophy). The opening pair of Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly put up a strong partnership of 141 runs, with Ganguly scoring 117 runs. However, the Indian team lost wickets continuously after this and failed to maintain the momentum in the final overs. Even this score was not enough for a win against New Zealand, and India had to face defeat.
4. South Africa – 248/6 vs West Indies, 1998 at Bangabandhu National Stadium Dhaka, Bangladesh
South Africa won their first and only ICC Champions Trophy in 1998. Chasing West Indies’ 246, South Africa scored 248/6 and won the match with three overs to spare.
Captain Hansie Cronje played a vital role by scoring 61 runs in 77 balls. Mike Rindel, Jacques Kallis and Dale Benkenstein also scored 49, 37 and 27 runs respectively to take the team to victory. Kallis performed brilliantly, for which he was named Player of the Match.
5. West Indies – 245 runs vs South Africa, 1998 at Bangabandhu National Stadium Dhaka, Bangladesh
The first edition of the ICC Champions Trophy, held in 1998, saw West Indies bat first and score 245 runs in the final.
Philo Wallace played a brilliant innings for West Indies by scoring 103 runs off 102 balls, hitting 11 fours and 5 sixes. Carl Hooper and Shivnarine Chanderpaul also contributed 49 and 27 runs. However, West Indies could not defend this score and lost the match by four wickets.
The big scores scored by these teams in the ICC Champions Trophy finals have thrilled cricket fans. These matches show that anything can happen in cricket at any time, especially in the finals of big tournaments.
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